From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Israeli kidnapped in Iraq to pressure Israel to release Iranian prisoner – report
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
The kidnapping of Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov was carried out to pressure Israel to release an Iranian held by Israel, Iraqi sources tell Asharq Al-Awsat, a London-based Arabic daily.
That Iranian in question could be Yousef Shahbazi Abbasalilo, whom Israel announced in June it had snatched from Iranian soil for planning attacks on Israeli targets in Cyprus.
Israel has not revealed when it took Shahbazi Abbasalilo, and whether it was before Tsurkov was kidnapped.
Some sources tell the outlet that talks are being mediated by Russia, “which may result in the release of Tsurkov in the coming days.”
Asharq Al-Awsat also says it received conflicting reports about her location, with some sources saying she is being held in Iraq by the pro-Iranian militia Kataib Hezbollah, and others indicating she was moved to Iran.
